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Yearly Archives: 2013
Holbox

During July of 2009, the SEA team was on and around the island of Holbox as part of a research expedition to better understand the largest fish on earth.
Whale sharks are widely distributed in all tropical and warm temperate seas throughout the world. Their distribution in these warm tropical waters is linked to the high productivity of these areas, i.e. dense concentrations of plankton. One particular island off the coast of Mexico boasts a large population of migratory whale sharks. Isla Holbox (pronounced “hole-bosh”) was a well-kept secret until 6 years ago when whale sharks were discovered right off its coast. Although whale sharks are generally considered solitary animals, they congregate in the waters surrounding Holbox to feed and mate from May through September, earning the island’s designation as the top place in the world to see and swim with these ‘gentle giants’.…

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Gulf of California Expedition

Jacques Cousteau dubbed the Gulf of California, “the world’s aquarium.” The Gulf of California boasts about one-third of the world’s total number of marine mammal species, nearly 900 fish species, of which about 90 are endemic to the area, as well as more than 170 seabird species. While it is known to be one of the most diverse seas on the planet, much of the Gulf of California as we know it today is under threat from a variety of activities ranging from overfishing to coastal development.  In 2009, Dr. Earle named the Gulf of California one of her top “Hope Spot” locations and vowed to help bring attention and support to the region.

The Gulf of California is a large body of water that separates the peninsula of Baja California from the Mexican mainland.…

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At 40, CITES turns its attention to sharks

Delegations from 177 countries are convening in Bangkok starting today, marking the 16th gathering of parties to the international conservation agreement known as CITES. This remarkable agreement has offered protection to over 4,500 animal and 30,000 plant species from depletion and extinction for 40 years.

At the top of the agenda in 2013 are sharks, of which up to a hundred million are killed each year according to a recent study in the peer-reviewed journal Marine Policy. Given the rapacious shark finning trade, this year's conservation focus on these majestic animals is timely and the ocean community is pushing hard for the delegates to add shark and manta species to the Appendix II of the treaty. This simple action would regulate commercial trade of these species and put a much needed brake on over exploitation.…

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Photo of the Day ~ Time to be kind to sharks

With the focus at this year's CITES convention on sharks and mantas, we thought that Daniel Botelho's touching photo of a close encounter of the best kind between a man and an Oceanic whitetip shark was fitting for our photo of the day. 

The window of time when we can save some shark species will only be open for a bit longer. The time to act is now.  Read more in today's feature on CITES by Brett Garling.

Photo (c) Daniel Bothelho…

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Photo of the Day ~ Tiger Shark

Alexander Mustard shared this beautiful image of a Tiger Shark, Galeocerdo cuvier swimming just under the surface in the Bahamas.
Large Tigers can grow to as much as 20 to 25 feet (6 to 7.5 meters) in length and weigh more than 1,900 pounds (900 kilograms).
They are heavily harvested for their fins, skin, and flesh, and their livers contain high levels of vitamin A, which is processed into vitamin oil. They have extremely low repopulation rates, and therefore may be highly susceptible to fishing pressure. They are listed as near threatened throughout their range.
Photo: Alex Mustard Underwater Photography…

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Sea Urchins ~ An Ocean Magazine for the Next Generation

New Mission Blue Partner, Sea Urchins Magazine is a Great Britain based children’s magazine that brings ocean conservation to kids focusing on positive and awe inspiring messages and images. ~ Ed.
Where it all began…
My grandfather was one of the biggest influences in my life. He used to talk to me about nature, bought me my first pair of binoculars and started my subscription to the RSPB magazine (a bird magazine).
I instantly found respect for nature, the outdoors and conservation and this will stay with me for the rest of my life. Later I went on to study Biology for my further education and Marine Biology as my university degree. The next step for me was to gain all of my diving qualifications.…

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Photorealist painter uses humor to highlight dilemma of marine debris

Above: “Mighty Migration” oil on canvas, 30″ x 40″ © Karen Hackenberg 2011
“I am walking on the Discovery Bay beach outside of Port Townsend WA where I live, swim, and kayak. Collecting colorful plastic cone-shaped tips of washed-up fireworks’ rockets for use in my sculpture, I examine the live pulpy bodies of moon snails in their white shells and the purple velvet “fur” on sand dollars, as well as the stranded plastic bags, the crab shell molts, the squid egg cases, the running shoes, logs, plastic water bottles, shot gun shells, disposable lighters, ropes of bull kelp, nylon ropes, eel grasses, striated stones and glowing agates. I struggle to make sense of this diverse and incongruous debris, and to somehow make peace with its implications.”…

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Photo of the Day ~ Belize Dolphins

A pod of dolphins swim and play in Belize, in their natural habitat. Instead of leaving photographer Justin Lewis behind, the dolphins circled backed and played with him as he free dove thrity feet below the surface.

Photo (c) Justin Lewis Photography…

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New England Fisheries Face Serious Setback

Recent scientific surveys of the fish populations off the New England coast have found them at or near the lowest levels ever recorded. On top of that, there is a new measure before NOAA that would encourage renewed bottom trawling and dredging in the region. A total of more than 5,000 sq. miles of seafloor—roughly equal to the size of Connecticut—is at risk of serious ecological setback.

After populations collapsed in the early 1990s, "groundfish closed areas" were set up to protect juvenile fish, spawning areas, and seafloor habitat. These sections of seabed were set aside to protect cod, haddock, flounder, and other important fish. Now, under pressure from the fishing industry, the New England Fishery Management Council has voted to let bottom trawling and dredging return to more than half of these areas.…

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Photo of the Day ~ Parrotfish

One of the most colorful fish in the sea, the vibrant hued parrotfish, Scarus sp, sleeps each night with its eyes wide open. While it dreams its colorful fish dreams we are able to get close enough to see each brilliant line and scale, Komodo Islands, Indonesia, Indo-Pacific Ocean.

Photo: (c) Tanya G. Burnett,  http://www.islandexposure.us…

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